The Bulls are trying to salvage the DeMar DeRozan, and Zack LaVine era, adding Patrick Beverley via buyout signing.
The Bulls may currently be regretting assembling this core of Zack LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls also traded those two first-round picks for Vucevic and as well giving DeRozan such a large contract. But as they try to salvage things, Patrick Beverley is an interesting pick-up. At this point of his career, Beverley will be coming off the bench but his addition brings talent and toughness to this Chicago team.
Despite making win-now moves, the Bulls are playing below .500 ball and are out of the play-in as of this moment. Going into the All-Star break, Chicago was on a six-game losing streak and struggling to hang on for their chance to at least make the play-in. Getting a guy like Beverley who can handle the ball and defend at the point of the attack could really help.
Chicago has been missing their starting point guard all season and they’ve just announced that Lonzo Ball will be out for the rest of the year, still suffering from pain in his knee.
Will signing Patrick Beverley help the Bulls make the playoffs?
The Bulls still have a chance to make the play-in but they are unlikely to move past the play-in or the first round of the playoffs. Chicago may have a better chance of making the play-in and actually getting into the playoffs with Beverley on the roster. During his tenure with the Lakers, the defensive star looked severely washed. It may have been a bad fit but expecting Beverley to have a big impact on this Bulls team is highly unrealistic.
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.